[News] Xiaomi launches Redmi Y2 and MIUI 10 in India

MIUI 10 launches globally in India, designed for an immersive full screen display experience

NEW DELHI, India, 7 June, 2018 — Xiaomi, India’s number 1 smartphone brand, today announced Redmi Y2 in India, a new iteration of the Y series that is designed for the young at heart with its exceptional selfie experience. It also announced MIUI 10, the latest update to its operating software which is built for a more immersive full screen experience.

Touted as the best Redmi phone for selfies, Redmi Y2 sports an AI-powered 16MP front camera powered by pixel binning technique and Xiaomi’s own AI Beautify features. With a starting price of ₹9,999, Redmi Y2 also comes with a 12MP + 5MP AI dual camera. It has a 5.99-inch 18:9 Full Screen Display and is powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 625 platform.

“I believe the key reason for the growth which Xiaomi has witnessed is our belief of building innovative products keeping the customer at the heart of everything. Last year, we saw a need for a device which could relate to the young at heart, and were looking for a device for self-projection. Redmi Y1 was the answer to that gap in the market. In a short span of 6 months, Redmi Y1 became the bestselling selfie phone in the country. It was found that 57% of the user base of the Redmi Y series was under the age of 24, the highest any Xiaomi device has witnessed – which is a proof point of the success of our Y series,” said Manu Jain, Vice President, Xiaomi and Managing Director, Xiaomi India.

The 16MP front camera on Redmi Y2 is able to capture fine details in daylight and produces high-resolution images. In low-light conditions, the sensor uses pixel binning technique to combine information from four pixels and create one large 2.0µm pixel. This greatly improves the resulting picture quality, producing clearer and brighter photos in low light with less noise. Another addition to its low-light repertoire is the Selfie-light, which produces a 4500K colour temperature making it easier to take selfies in low-light conditions.

When Auto HDR is enabled, the 16MP front camera automatically detects a back-light environment and applies the HDR effect. Selfie-light on Redmi Y2 mimics natural light, allowing catchlights in the eyes to be captured, which makes for great portrait photos. The camera also supports AI bokeh that effectively distinguishes the subject from the background, even correctly identifying elements such as hair accessories and popular hand gestures as being part of the subject.

AI dual camera for clear shots day and night

Redmi Y2 sports a 12MP + 5MP AI dual camera on its back. The 12MP primary sensor has 1.25µm large pixels, which results in brighter images in low light conditions. The 5MP secondary sensor is dedicated to acquiring depth information, producing photos with great bokeh effects.

In Portrait Mode, both the front and back cameras support AI Beautify. AI Beautify 4.0 is designed keeping in mind specific needs of users in India, and can detect elements such as makeup, beards, nose rings, etc. and keep them intact (besides popular selfie facial expressions).

5.99” full screen with great ergonomics

Redmi Y2 comes with a 5.99-inch 18:9 full screen display that allows users a large-screen experience while being ergonomic at the same time. Its metallic-finish back is symmetrically curved and gently tapered toward edges, achieving a great handfeel.

Redmi Y2 is powered by the octa-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 625 platform, which is based on the 14nm FinFET architecture for balanced performance and power consumption.

Face unlock out of the box, and more

Redmi Y2 features face unlock out of the box, in addition to having a fingerprint scanner. Keeping in mind specific needs of users, Redmi Y2 features a dedicated microSD card slot for storage expansion by up to 256GB. Users will also be able to control a lot of their home electronics with the included IR blaster using the Mi Remote app.

Availability and pricing

Redmi Y2 comes in three colors: Gold, Rose gold and Dark grey. The 3GB + 32GB version will retail for ₹9,999, while the 4GB + 64GB version is priced at ₹12,999. A simple, elegant TPU case will be shipped in the box with every Redmi Y2.

Redmi Y2 goes on sale 12PM 12th June at Mi.com, Amazon.in and Mi Home stores across the country. It will also be available across offline partners at a later date.

Offers*:

₹1800 instant cashback and up to 240GB data free with Airtel

Buyers that make the purchase on June 12 via ICICI credit or debit cards on Mi.com and Amazon.in will get an instant cashback of ₹500

MIUI 10 is a breath of fresh air, uplifting the user experience with its upgrades in design, speed, AI and sound.

Responsive and fast

The 14 system optimisations make MIUI 10 even faster. Two more critical system optimisations have been added, namely Lock-free critical path and Codependent prioritizing, which improves the overall responsiveness of MIUI 10 by 10 percent.

Ergonomics at its best

With a series of easy-to-use full screen hand gestures without the virtual buttons, along with new features such as more content in the tiled taskbar and improved swiping gestures (up and down for switching tasks, sideways to end current task), users will be delighted at the increase in their multitasking efficiency.

Users will seamlessly be able to switch to Full screen gestures. Besides, MIUI 10 will provide a much more productive experience with a completely redesigned recent apps menu showing up to 5 apps in one screen.

Single-lens portrait photos

Users of MIUI 10-supported Xiaomi smartphones with single cameras will be delighted to know that MIUI 10 will bring its popular AI Portrait photos to these devices, which means users will be able to take portrait shots without having a dual-lens camera.

In a nutshell, portrait photos will be possible on both, single- and dual-rear camera phones running MIUI 10.

Rediscover the sounds of nature

MIUI 10 brings with it a completely new system of sounds. From notifications, to audio feedback and ambient sounds from an app like the timer — MIUI 10 aims to deliver more signal than noise. MIUI is also designed in a way that will reduce the aural clutter.

Customized for India

MIUI 10 has been customized keeping in mind its large user base in India. Subtle features like the camera app doubling up as a Paytm QR code scanner, a local service page in the in-built browser with full support for PWA (progressive web apps), and the content-rich libraries of Mi Music and Mi Video ensure a great, entertaining and an ergonomic experience. MIUI 10 adds a quick menu tab to all business messages, which allows users to explore more about the service with one tap.